Santa Clara County Biographies
This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm
JAMES M. KENYON
resides in Santa Clara, but is the owner of a fine farm of 242 acres, situated
on the Saratoga and Alviso road, at its junction with the Homestead road, about
two miles west of Santa Clara. This land, with the exception of about eight
acres, which is planted with prune-trees, is devoted to the production of hay
and grain and stock-raising.
Mr. Kenyon was born in Adams County, Ohio, May 29, 1817. There his
father, Jonathan Kenyon, and his mother, Sarah (Stratton) Kenyon, made their
home for many years. His early youth was spent upon his father's farm, until the
age of sixteen years, when he left home to learn the carpenter's trade. He was
successful in his undertaking, and became an intelligent and skilled workman,
and a thorough master of his trade, at which he worked for over twenty-five
years. Mr. Kenyon is a California pioneer of 1849, as well as an early settler
of this county, being one of the hardy men who, with their families, at that
early day made their slow and laborious way across the immense plains of our
country with ox teams. On his arrival he followed the example of thousands and
sought for wealth in the mines, but soon tiring of this life, in 1850 he took up
his residence in San Jose, where he built for himself a house and prepared to
follow his trade as a carpenter and builder. Finding but little building in
progress, and small prospect of much being done in the immediate future, he
turned his attention to other business ventures. Having been reared to a farm
life, and seeing the rich and uncultivated lands lying unoccupied around him, he
was soon induced to purchase the property above mentioned. The same business
tact and foresight that he had displayed in the pursuit of his trade soon
assured him of success in his new business and placed him in the ranks of the
leading farmers of the county.
In 1837 Mr. Kenyon went from Ohio into Missouri, where he married Miss
Martha Roberts, daughter of Woodford Roberts, of Andrew County, Missouri. Of the
children born of this marriage there are now living the following: John
Fletcher, of Saratoga, Santa Clara County; Benjamin Franklin, who is married and
lives upon the farm above mentioned; James Monroe; Sarah, the wife of Daniel
Gardiner, of Saratoga, Santa Clara County; and Emma, the wife of H. H. Slavans,
of Woodland, Yolo County, this State.
Although hale and hearty, and in full possession of all his faculties,
the subject of our sketch has retired from the active pursuits and operations of
the farm, turning the same over to his son, whom he has trained to succeed him
in its successful management, and, with his wife, is living in comfort in Santa
Clara, enjoying the rest which an active and successful business life of nearly
sixty years has made a necessity.
Pen Pictures From The Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California,
Illustrated. - Edited by H. S. Foote.- Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company,
1888.
Pg. 437-438